Flexible container and dispenser



Nov. 15, 1955 c. PARKER ET AL. 2,723,779

FLEXIBLE CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Dec. 19, 195] 2 Sheets-Sheet lC4901 P486472 2966 2 WrA/Mf.

INVENTORS.

LWZM Nov. 15, 1955 c PARKER ET AL 2,723,779

FLEXIBLE CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Dec. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2JESSf/P W/f4/Y/Z 11v VEN TORS United States Patent "ice FLEXIBLECONTAINER AND DISPENSER Carol Parker, Glendale, and Jesse P. Whann, LosAngeles, Calif.; said Whann assignor to said Parker Application December19, 1951, Serial No. 262,445

12 Claims. (Cl. 222-104) This invention relates in general to containersfor products of fluid and viscous character and relates in particular toa dispensing container which may be made from a thin flexible materialof the character of the known flexible plastics. 7

It is an important object of the invention to provide a container whichis especially adapted for the holding and dispensing of food products,and especially those food products which are of a viscous or plasticcharacter, for example whipped cream, cake topping, peanut butter,catsup and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a dispensing containerhaving a relatively rigid base portion on which the container may restand upon which it will stand erect, and having flexible, but reinforcedside walls which, by their flexure under externally applied force, willcause discharge of the contents of the container from the discharge ordispensing opening with which it is provided.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple dispensingcontainer of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph havingindications on at least a portion of its side wall which will guide theuser in twisting the upper and lower portions of the containerrelatively to each other so that a so called twist will be produced inthe container which will reduce the volume of the container andtherefore tend to force the contained product out through the dischargeopening of the container.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a dispensingcontainer, which may be easily made from a material of the generalcharacter of the known flexible plastics, or of such plastics, havingimpressions in the side wall thereof constituting indications for thetwisting of the container in the manner described.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a dispensingcontainer having flutes or shallow channels in the side wall whichindicate the twist to be made and are also of such flexibility andcharacter that they assist in or facilitate the forming of the twist inthe side wall of the container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a container of thecharacter described having side walls which are so flexible that thedescribed twist may be readily formed therein, and which are providedwith ribs acting to reinforce the side wall of the container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a form of thedispensing container having its side wall and/or reinforcing ribs soformed that the container will return to an expanded condition after theforce which has produced the twist therein has been released.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out inthe following part for the specification wherein details have been setforth for the purpose of disclosure, without limiting the scope of theinvention set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred form of the invention;

2,723,779 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 Fig. 2 is a perspective view showingthe manner in which the container is used;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the area indicated by thedotted circle numeral 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the planeindicated by the lines 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated bythe lines 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views similar to Fig. 5 showingdifferent types of reenforcing ribs;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing an alternative form of the inventionhaving a reenforcing element;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an alternative form of theinvention made from one piece, the upper portion of the container beingclosed after it is filled;

Fig; 10 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the containershown in Fig. 9, taken from the position'of the arrow 10 in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the invention in rectangular form.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 comprises a plasticshell 10 of generally cylindrical form but tapering upwardly and then,near the upper end thereof converging rapidly to form a conical tip, 11having a plurality of serrations 12. The lower end 13 of the shell 10 isopen and the opening 14 thereof is arranged to receive a closure 15which is installed in the opening 14 and preferably against an internalshoulder 16 formed within the lower end 13 of the shell 10.

The closure 15 is relatively rigid and the lower portion 13 of thecontainer 10 may be made of a thickness which will contribute to therigidity of the lower end of the container. Above the lower end portion13, the shell 10 has a relatively thin and flexible wall 17. Thethickness of the wall 17 depends upon a number of factors, the kind ofmaterial to be contained and the stiffness of the plastic material.Ordinarily the thickness of the wall 17 will be in the range of & to ofan inch in thickness, but the wall thickness may vary from the foregoingrange as may be required by variations of conditions. It is acharacteristic of the invention that at least the side wall of thecontainer is made of a plastic material of suflicient flexibility thatthe side wall may be twisted as indicated at 18 as the result of theapplication of relative rotation to the upper and lower portions of thecontainer, around the axis of the container, and it is a feature of theinvention that the container has thereon indications that the side wallthereof should be twisted by the user, so that the user by such twistingmay reduce the volume of the container to cooperate in the discharge ofthe contents of the container. From a line 19 adjacent the upperextremity of the bottom portion 13 of the container flutes 20 areextended upward spirally in counterclockwise direction, these flutes 20having their upper ends 21 disposed slightly below the middle of thecontainer. Between the flutes 20 stiffening ribs 22 are formed in thewall 17, these ribs 22 extending above the upper ends 21 of the flutes20 to a level near the top of the shell 10. In the preferred form of theinvention, the stiffening ribs 22 are formed so as to project externallyfrom the surface of the shell. As shown in Fig. 6, the stiffening ribsor flutes may be formed so to project inwardly as indicated at 2.2a. Asfurther shown in Fig. 7, the shell 10 may have stiffening ribs 22b whichare solid instead of being formed as narrow channels in the plastic wall17.

The shell 10 is placed in inverted position for filling so that theopening at the lower end thereof will be faced upwardly. The product isthen poured into the shell to the desired level and the closure 15 isinstalled. When use of the contents of the container is desired aportion 23 of the tip 11 is cut off by use of a knife or shears, along ahorizontal plane such as indicated by the line 44, the removal of theportion 23 then leaving an opening 24 in the tip of a cross sectiondepending upon the shape of the serrations. ,Then, by squeezing the sidewall of the container a portion of the contents may be caused to issuethrough the discharge opening 24. In accordance with the indications onthe container that the shell thereof is to be twisted, the user maygrasp the upper portion of the container in the left hand and the bottomportion 13 thereof in the right hand, twisting the lower portion 13 inclockwise direction and thereby producing a twist at 18, initially inthe fluted portion of the shell 10, as product 25 is discharged throughthe opening 24 in the tip 11. Continued twisting of the container in themanner described will cause the extension of the twisted portion 18right down to or close to the tip 11. In conjunction with the twisting,pressure may be applied to the shell, as desired, to cause discharge ofthe product through the opening 24, the twisting of the container beingrelied upon to force the contents into the interior space of thecontainer adjacent the tip 11. In some practices of the invention thewall of the container will be of such strength and resilience that whenthe twisting force is released, the shell 10 will return to the originalposition thereof shown in Fig. 1. In other practices of the inventionthis may not be desirable, and under such circumstances the material ofthe shell will have essentially no resilience, with the result that thecontainer will remain twisted.

In the preferred form of the invention the shell 10 has been disclosedwith means for maintaining rigidity sufiicient to cause the container toremain erect even though empty or partly empty. In Fig. 8 a container 26is shown having other means for causing it to remain erect even though aportion of its viscous contents have been removed. This container 26 hasa shell 27 of nonresilient material and the closure 28 of rigidmaterial. A stem 29 projects upwardly from the closure 28 within theshell 26, this stem 29 being shown hollow so as to reduce the weightthereof. When the shell 26 is filled with viscous material, such aswhipped cream or the like, and the closure 28 is installed, thecontainer will remain erect because of the fact that the shell 27 isfilled and thereby expanded. When the container is twisted in part toreduced size as indicated by phantom lines 30, the stem 29 will act tomaintain the upper and lower portions of the container in alignment. Ifthe upper portion of the container sags downwardly, the upper end of thestem 28 will engage the interior of the tip 11.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 9, the container is made of onepiece. That is to say, it does not comprise a shell and an insertablebottom, but initially consists of a plastic cup 31 having the generalcharacteristics of the shell 10 insofar as wall material, resilience,and twistability are concerned. This cup 31 has a side wall 32 whichextends as indicated by dotted lines 33, and an integral bottom 34. Thecup is placed in upright position and the product is applied to theinterior through the upper open end portion indicated by the dottedlines 33. Afterward, the cup 31 is closed by bringing the halves 34 and35 of the upper or lip portion of the container together, and thensuitably sealing these portions 34 and 35 together diametrically acrossthe top of the container. Such sealing may be by application of heat,where a heat-sealing plastic is employed, or a narrow metal sealingstrip may be clamped over the fiattened and closed lip of the container.As shown in Fig. 9, the seal or seam 36 across the top of the containermay be shaped so that a protuberance or tip 37 will be formed, which maybe cut off along the plane indicated by the dotted line 38, to provide adischarge opening through which the contents of the container will flowwhen the side wall of the cup is squeezed or twisted.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 11 is of rectangular crosssection. It comprises a bag 40 having a rigid rectangular bottom 41 anda thin, flexible side wall 42. The bottom 41 has an opening 43 arrangedto receive a plug 44 after the container of Fig. 11 is filled. The lip45 at the upper or front end of the side wall 42 of this container isclosed in a manner similar to the folding in and closing of a paper bag,and a heat seal is formed along the edge 46 where the lips are broughttogether, so that the upper end of the container is closed, and may beopened only by cutting a portion of the plastic wall of which the lipportion 45 is made. Both of the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 9and 11 have indications that the container should be twisted. It will beunderstood that these indications may be markings on the container, butthey preferably consist of shallow flutes 47 arranged spirally so as tobe indicative of a twisting action and so as to assist of the collapsingof the side wall of the container as the twisting action is applied.

Another method of opening the container is to make crossing verticalcuts with a knife downwardly into the tip, and markings are provided toserve as guides for the making of the cuts. Referring to Figs. 1 and 4,the serrations 12 provide marks or indications crossing the end of thetip 11. The crossing cuts divide the tip into approximately triangularlips meeting at the extreme end of the tip and which will separate andthereby form a discharge opening when sufficient pressure is applied tothe product in the container.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall having aplurality of visible spirals indicated thereon to guide the user intwisting the container around its longitudinal axis by rotating theupper and lower portions thereof in opposite directions so that thevolume thereof will be reduced; and a bottom wall connected to the lowerend of said side wall.

2. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall havingspaced spiral ribs to indicate that the container is to be twisted andhaving flexible portions between said ribs to assist the user in forminga twist between the upper and lower portions of the container to reducethe volume thereof; and a bottom wall connected to the lower portion ofsaid side wall.

3. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall having aplurality of spaced flutes disposed so as to indicate that the containeris to be twisted at the location of the flutes and to enable the readytwisting of the side wall by rotation of the lower end of the containeraround the longitudinal axis thereof while the upper portion of thecontainer is held relatively stationary, so as to reduce the volume ofthe container; and a bottom wall connected to the lower. portion of saidside wall.

4. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall havingspaced spiral ribs alternated with spiral flutes to indicate that thecontainer is to be twisted and to facilitate the forming of the twist inthe container between the upper and lower portions thereof by rotationof the lower end of the container around the longitudinal axis thereofwhile theupper portion of the container is held relatively stationary,whereby the volume of the container will be reduced; and a bottom wallto close the lower end of the container.

5. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that the side wall may be readily collapsed byexternal application of pressure, the upper end of said side wall beingclosed and having an integral hollow tip portion with internalserrations and adapted to be cut 01f intermediate the ends thereof so asto form a generally star-shaped discharge opening for the container; anda bottom wall to close the lower end of the container.

6. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic wall ofsuch thickness that it may be readily collapsed by external pressure,the upper end of said side wall being closed and having an integralhollow tip portion with internal serrations and adapted to be perforatedto form a discharge opening for the container, said serrations impartinga non-circular form to the material which is forced out through saidopening, and the side wall of the container having indications on thelower portion that the container is to be there twisted around itslongitudinal axis so as to be reduced in volume, and a bottom wall toclose the lower end of the container said side wall being of suchresilience as to return to expanded condition when the twisting force isreleased from the container.

7. A container as defined in claim 6 wherein said indications comprisealternated spiral ribs and flutes.

8. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side Wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall havingspaced spiral flutes adjacent the lower portion thereof of suchflexibility that it may be readily longitudinally twisted and alsohaving markings that the container is to be there twisted so as to bereduced in volume; and a bottom wall to close the lower end of thecontainer, the lower portion of the container comprising wall portionscharacterized by rigidity so as to not collapse when grasped by the userin applying twisting force to the lower portion of the container aroundits longitudinal axis while an upper portion of the container is heldrelatively stationary.

9. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that it may be readily collapsed by externalpressure, the upper end of said side wall being closed and having meansforming a discharge opening for the container, said side wall havingspaced spiral ribs alternated with spiral flutes to indicate that thecontainer is to be twisted around its longitudinal axis and tofacilitate the forming of a twist in the container between the upper andlower portions thereof whereby the volume of the container will bereduced; and a bottom Wall to close the lower end of the container, thelower portion of the container comprising wall portions of such rigiditythat the lower end of the container will not collapse when pressure isapplied thereto in the operation of twisting the container around itslongitudinal axis while an upper portion of the container is heldrelatively stationary.

10. A container as described in claim 9, wherein said means forming adischarge opening comprises an integrally formed plastic tip havinginternal serrations through which the contents of the container willpass when being discharged.

11. A container as defined in claim 8, wherein said means forming adischarge opening for the container comprises an integrally formedplastic tip having internal serrations and adapted to be cut off at anintermediate plane so as to form an opening of non-circularcrosssection.

12. In a container of the character described: a tubular plastic sidewall of such thickness that the side wall may be readily collapsed bythe external application of pressure, the upper portion of said sidewall being closed and having a portion arranged so as to provide adischarge opening for the container and said side wall having spiral ribmeans to facilitate the forming of a twist in the container wall, saidcontainer including a bottom in crossing relation to the longitudinalaxis of the container and being of such rigidity at its lower end thatsaid lower end may be manually grasped for the purpose of rotating saidlower portion of the container around the longitudinal axis thereofwhile an upper portion of the container is held relatively stationary,thereby forming a twist in the lower portion of said side wall, saidside wall being of such resilience as to return to expanded conditionwhen the twisting force is released from the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS558,126 Van Horne Apr. 14, 1896 2,099,412 Seidler Nov. 16, 19372,139,143 Wiswell Dec. 6, 1938 2,268,993 Sanders Jan. 6, 1942 2,320,496Wechsler June 1, 1943 2,430,995 Roos Nov. 18, 1947 2,502,918 BeresfordApr. 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 416,467 France Aug. 8, 1910 725,864 FranceFeb. 16, 1932 495,856 Great Britain Feb. 15, 1937

